With approval by the Minnesota Board of Teaching, the University of Minnesota, Crookston will add a bachelor of science in elementary education to the current 26 bachelor’s degree programs offered.

The bachelor of science degree in elementary education is a career-oriented program that prepares students to be effective teachers of children from kindergarten through grade six.

Students have an option to double major in elementary education along with early childhood education, which includes the birth through grade three licensure already available on the Crookston campus.

Graduates of the teacher education program design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children in elementary education classrooms. They are prepared to work collaboratively with families and in the community. A dual major with early childhood education provides significant opportunities for professional positions in these programs: kindergarten through sixth grade, infant and toddler care and education, preschool programs, Head Start, and early childhood family education. The elementary education program has three academic core areas of required coursework—education core, family core, and elementary education core. A new Web page includes more detailed information about the major at umcrookston.edu/elementaryed.

"The action taken by the Board of Teaching to provide the U of M, Crookston the opportunity to offer a licensure program for elementary education sets the stage for growth and improves the academic choices for students at the university, noted Jack Geller, Ph.D., head of the Liberal Arts and Education Department. ”Preparing students to earn a teacher’s license that enables graduates to teach in schools from kindergarten through sixth grade is a significant addition to the strong program in early childhood education we offer on this campus.”

Background

The U of M, Crookston previously offered a licensure program in early childhood education only and the full-continuing institutional approval has a seven-year interval and is determined by the Board of Teaching. The UMC Teacher Education Unit was granted full-continuing approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching to prepare individuals for Minnesota teacher licensure through June 30, 2019.

The approval followed a visit by an assessment team in October 2011, when the campus hosted a three-day visit to review data gathered since 2007 related to the 54 standards established by the Board. These standards are meant to ensure that teacher candidates have the opportunity to learn, develop, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for teacher licensure. The evaluation team, chaired by Teacher Education Specialist JoAnn Van Aernum, delivered a report to the campus in early December 2011, and a recommendation by the team was sent to the Board for consideration in their final decision.

The Board of Teaching, created in 1973, provides leadership for improvements in teacher education programs in order to assure that the state has well-qualified, professional teachers. The Governor appoints eleven members to the Board of Teaching: six classroom teachers, one higher education faculty member, one school administrator, and three members of the public, two of whom must have spent some time on a local school board. The Board determines the standards and practices that will serve the state's teachers and teacher preparation institutions. For more information, visit http://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html.